


You can't hurry love

by daughter_of_the_fifth_house



Series: Stories inspired by Songs [6]
Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: AU, Academy Era, Academy shuttle, Allusion to the song "You can't hurry love", F/M, Falling In Love, Genderswap, Pike kind of playing a little Cupid, Pre-Relationship, Was supposed to be a oneshot - but maybe it isn't, mentioning of Number One, mentioning of Winona Kirk, trying to find love by dating as many women as possible
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-14
Updated: 2019-02-14
Packaged: 2019-10-28 10:32:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17785730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daughter_of_the_fifth_house/pseuds/daughter_of_the_fifth_house
Summary: Jim Kirk always dreamt of a love like his parents had. But he is impatient. He wants so badly to find the right woman – especially after his mother dared to remarry – only to end up having one-night-stand after one-night stand. He forgot the most important advice his mother and grandmother had for him: You can’t hurry love. He finally remembers one day when he decides to get on a certain Academy shuttle.





	You can't hurry love

**Author's Note:**

> I always wanted to do a fic with another approach for Jim being after every woman he meets. I also wanted this to be a oneshot for Valentine's day. But maybe there will be more chapters or a sequel.

He should’ve seen it coming. Everything hurt after that barfight. And the words of Christopher Pike rang in his ears.

Enlist in Starfleet?

Well…

James Tiberius Kirk sat outside said bar on a bench. The sun was slowly rising and time was running out. He had to make a decision.

He replayed the night in his mind. It kinda might have been stupid going into a bar with Starfleet cadets. But he hadn’t been here before. He had hoped to meet women. A usual night, really. Only that he had always avoided Starfleet grounds when trying to find a date.

He snorted at himself. Yeah, he called his countless encounters with women dates. He wished they were. And once that term applied. But now…

Jim longed for something that was further away than ever. He wanted a relationship like his parents had. His real parents, that is. Not his mother and that asshole Frank.

Sometimes Jim wondered if he was idealizing the love of George and Winona Kirk. But still – he wished to fall in love like that. Of course, his mother and grandmother had always told him in his childhood that his true love was out there somewhere. That he would find her or him. And they always told him that love could not be hurried.

The problem was: He was impatient. He knew how short life was. He wanted to find the right woman and he wanted to make every moment count.

But somewhere along the way he got it all wrong. He did hurry things. And suddenly he was a Casanova. A man sleeping with another woman every night. He knew he was on the wrong track, but didn’t know how to stop. He was way too driven by his deepest wish. Last night that had ended with him trying to finally meet some Starfleet woman. His parents were Starfleet after all.

Starfleet…

He sighed.

Christopher Pike had him on the hook with his dare. Jim always had ambivalent feelings towards Starfleet. His lost his father because of Starfleet, but he also felt kind of drawn to space.

So… Starfleet.

“I must be crazy…” he muttered to himself.

Half an hour later he drove his bike to the site a brandnew starship was being built. Another half hour later he gave his bike to some worker and boarded the Academy Shuttle.

Yeah, he wanted this. But it was also a cut to his former life. Maybe he could let go the Jim who wanted love so badly he screwed it up. He promised to himself to take things slowly now. He remembered his mother’s and grandmother’s words.

_You can't hurry love. No, you'll just have to wait._

Well, with wanting to graduate in three years instead of four he probably wouldn’t have time for romance anyway.

With that in mind, he sat down and waited for the departure.

A moment later, some noise and a discussion got his attention. He saw a female instructor yelling at a woman with dark hair – and she yelled back. Something about being a doctor and not needing one.

Jim suppressed a grin. The doctor looked messed up, but she had something that made her more beautiful and interesting as the women he lately saw. Maybe even all of them together.

He watched her getting closer and taking the seat next to him. Oh boy… He felt a flutter in his stomach and scolded himself for it. Not even five minutes and he was already getting weak? No way.

He found himself bantering with her in a way he never had with a woman. He learned that Doctor Leah McCoy was recently divorced, didn't like flying and wanted never to hear about love again.

What an irony.

Of course, he did not tell her about his past. Sadly, she would learn soon enough. He handed her back the flask she’d offered him.

“God, I hate space...” she muttered.

Jim chuckled.

“Yeah, yeah, just make fun of me.”

“I like you, Bones”, he said with a smile before he could stop himself. It was the truth.

Leah blinked surprised. “Did you just call me Bones?”

He laughed. “I did.”

“Huh.”

He tilted his head. He knew every other woman would have told him what a lame pick up line “I like you” was – or that this wasn’t kindergarden. But she didn’t. Maybe she didn’t see the words that way. And he didn’t mean it in the romantic way anyhow. At least that was what he told himself.

“I usually don’t make friends that easy”, she admitted.

Now it was Jim’s turn to be surprised. Friends. Wow. That was a first. Leah saw the both of them already as friends. For a moment he wasn’t sure what to make of that, then he decided that it was good. He also didn’t make friends easily. He couldn’t remember having a female friend in a very long time. But something told him they would get along great. Maybe a friendship was exactly what he needed. Just… he wondered if he could get over feeling being drawn to her.

“But we need to talk about that name”, she added.

Jim grinned. “No, we don’t.”

Leah rolled her eyes, but couldn’t suppress a little smile. “Fine. But don’t you dare calling me Sweetheart, Honey or something like that.”

“I don’t figure you to be that kind of woman.”

She laughed. “For James Tiberius Kirk that is quite a statement.”

And he was surprised again.

Leah noticed. “Oh, come on. You didn’t have to say your full name. There are not that many Jim Kirks. Everyone knows George Kirk and you look a lot like him.”

He sighed. “And my reputation precedes me?”

She shrugged. “People talk. But I don’t give a damn about gossip. I like you, too, Jim. I wouldn’t sit here anymore if I didn’t. And I think you wouldn’t be here if you didn’t want to give your life a new direction. We’re both here for a fresh start, I guess.”

Leah laughed seeing his stunned face and Jim felt his stomach flip. He remembered his first crush back in school. This was a little like back then, but…

Shit. He realized that he might be falling in love at little… lot…

This was bad.

“I guess I am”, he finally replied.

She nodded with a sigh. “And what a day we picked for that.”

“What do you m- …?” He rolled his eyes when the answer hit him. It was Valentine’s Day.

This was even worse.

“At least there are no mistletoes in february”, Leah commented dryly.

Jim laughed. But actually he wouldn’t have minded. Also bad, considering his resolution from earlier and how he already broke it.

“I’m done with love”, she stated, anticipating the question in his eyes. “I’m done with relationships.”

“A friendship is also a relationship”, Jim said with a wink. Her words felt suddenly like a dare. He wondered if he could make Leah McCoy believe in love again.

Leah’s gaze met his – and her stomach did a flip. Or maybe two. She blinked quickly in order to not lose herself in his cerulean blue eyes. Why were eyes like his even allowed? She realized she was probably screwed. So much for what she said.

“I hate to interrupt”, a sarcastic voice suddenly sounded. “But if you don’t wanna turn this into a shuttle pajama party, get the hell out of here.”

Jim and Leah saw Captain Christopher Pike standing a few seats away. He had a PADD resting against his right thigh. They quickly unbuckled their seat belts, realizing that the shuttle had landed and the cadets had left without them noticing. They exchanged another look, getting some notion that this might be more than two new friends forgetting time.

Pike watched them leave. Chuckling he shook his head.

The female commander who had the discussion with Leah McCoy earlier stepped to him. “What’s so funny, Captain?”

“Do you know what day today is, Commander Jackson?”

She frowned in confusion. “You mean the stardate?”

He shook his head. “Valentine’s Day.”

The Commander made a sound of disgust. “Shit, then I need to find some flowers for my wife.”

Pike laughed again.

“Not funny”, she complained. “You should also find some chocolates or flowers for Number One.”

“I’m going with jewelry this year”, he replied coolly.

“Didn’t figure her the type to wear a necklace or earrings.”

“She isn’t. But I guess she’ll wear a ring if I also do”, he said casually.

The commander’s jaw dropped. “I’ll be dammed. Are you really planning a romantic proposal?”

“Depends on how you define romantic.” He raised the PADD he was holding. “But enough of me.” He activated the device. “Let’s see about Kirk and McCoy.”

She tilted her head curiously. “What about them?”

“I think we should ignite those sparks.”

She snorted. “Kirk? In a relationship? And have you seen how that doctor was behaving earlier?”

“McCoy’s got fire. She’ll make a damn fine CMO one day.”

Commander Jackson rolled her eyes. “If she doesn’t drop out. I wonder how long she’ll manage with that aviaphobia of hers.”

Pike laughed. “You weren’t paying attention. She was doing quite well next to Kirk. I think this is going to be interesting.” He typed something.

“The dorm assignments?” the commander wondered, taking a glance at the PADD.

“Since Kirk showed up last minute we’ll have to find him a dorm room. There are enough options… but…” He scanned with his gaze over the list.

“Stick him with Hendorff or one of the Vulcan cadets”, she suggested.

Pike smiled mysteriously and shook his head. “I think we don’t have enough male-female mixed dorm rooms. We’re not in the twentieth century after all.”

He typed again and the commander saw the names Kirk and McCoy show up for the same room number.

“Seriously? What if they hook up for a while and it goes down in flames?”

“Call me crazy, but I saw a connection between them. It'll work out. Trust me.”

She let out a laugh. “Haven’t _you_ been the one telling about some old friend always saying to not hurry love? Isn’t there even an old song about that?”

Pike also laughed. “Yes and yes.” He deactivated the PADD and rested it against his thigh. He made two steps towards the exit, then turned back to her for a moment. “Winona Kirk says that. But changing the odds isn't hurrying anything.” He smiled and left.


End file.
